John Lennon and the number nine

The long-awaited digital remasters of The Beatles' back catalogue were finally released on 9 September 2009, along with the group's Rock Band video game. The choice of 09-09-09 was no accident, for the number has had a recurring association with the group - and John Lennon in particular - over the years.

Lennon's songs included Revolution 9, One After 909 and #9 Dream. Revolution 9, in particular, had the most significant use of the number. It appeared on The Beatles' ninth original UK album, their self-titled double long-player commonly known as the White Album.

Revolution 9 featured a series of tape loops, the most memorable of which is the recurring 'Number nine' announcement. It was culled from examination tapes from the Royal Academy of Music, formerly stored at Abbey Road.

Revolution 9 was an unconscious picture of what I actually think will happen when it happens; just like a drawing of a revolution. All the thing was made with loops. I had about 30 loops going, fed them onto one basic track. I was getting classical tapes, going upstairs and chopping them up, making it backwards and things like that, to get the sound effects. One thing was an engineer's testing voice saying, 'This is EMI test series number nine'. I just cut up whatever he said and I'd number nine it. Nine turned out to be my birthday and my lucky number and everything. I didn't realise it: it was just so funny the voice saying, 'number nine'; it was like a joke, bringing number nine into it all the time, that's all it was.

John Lennon
Rolling Stone, 1970

Revolution 9 was probably the main reason for the remasters release date being chosen as 9 September 2009. But the connections with The Beatles, John Lennon and the number nine didn't end there.

The first home he lived in was at 9 Newcastle Road, Wavertree, Liverpool - three names which each contain nine letters. Newcastle Road was his grandfather's house, and while living there Lennon later wrote One After 909.

I lived in 9 Newcastle Road. I was born on the ninth of October, the ninth month [sic]. It's just a number that follows me around, but, numerologically, apparently I'm a number six or three or something, but it's all part of nine.

John Lennon, 1980
All We Are Saying, David Sheff

Numerous events throughout Lennon's life were connected with the number nine, or numbers which add up to nine.

Lennon travelled on the number 72 bus to Liverpool Art College, where he was friends with Stuart Sutcliffe.

Their record-breaking debut appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show was on 9 February 1964.

After The Beatles split up, Lennon embarked on a solo career. He also made a number of recordings with his second wife Yoko Ono. Lennon claimed he first met her on 9 November 1966, though the more likely date is 7 November.

Various further connections with the number nine can be traced to this second stage in Lennon's life.

In April 1969 he changed his name to John Ono Lennon. There are nine 'o's in the combined names of John Ono Lennon and Yoko Ono Lennon.

Lennon and Ono lived for a time in an apartment on West 72nd Street, New York City.

Their first apartment in the Dakota Building was number 72.

Their son, Sean Lennon, was born on 9 October 1975, John's 35th birthday.

#9 Dream was a song on Lennon's 1974 album Walls And Bridges. The album was his ninth non-Beatles album, and was issued in the ninth month of the year.

The album's cover featured a painting done when Lennon was 11 years old. It depicts a footballer with a number nine on his back.

When released as a single, #9 Dream peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. The refrain in the chorus - 'Ah! Böwakawa poussé, poussé' - featured nine syllables.

Mind Games and Rock 'N' Roll, the albums released before and after Walls And Bridges, each contained nine letters in their titles.

After he was shot, Lennon was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital on 9th Avenue, Manhattan. Roosevelt and Manhattan both have nine letters.

As a footnote, Lennon was shot in New York City on 8 December 1980. However, it has been pointed out that, due to time differences, it was 9 December in his birthplace of Liverpool.

Individually, these occurrences may amount to little more than coincidence. However, in his later years Lennon became fascinated with numerology, and was well aware of the role of the number nine throughout his life.

There is another notable instance in John:Lennon’s life when the number 9 came up. This was in John’s teenage years when his good friend, Pete Shotten, challenged him to a contest of which of them could masturbate 10 times in a single day. John failed to meet this very formidable challenge of “ten” – but only by one! Understandably, John was quite proud of what was to be his lifetime record of “nine times”. And even by teenage boy standards, it is (IMHO) an impressive display of libido. Perhaps it’s also early evidence of the powerful and potent Lennon imagination…

NOTE: Episode described on page 73 of the book, JOHN LENNON: THE LIFE (2008) by Philip Norman.

I’m here because I was listening to Whatever Gets you Through the Night on Walls & Bridges and in the intro John says something like “nine is a lucky number” and I wanted to see if he was referring to anything in particular. I agree that numerology is at the very least dubious.

Enneagram type 9 – The Peacemaker People of this personality type essentially feel a need for peace and harmony. They tend to avoid conflict at all costs, whether it be internal or interpersonal. As the potential for conflict in life is virtually ubiquitous, the Nine’s desire to avoid it generally results in some degree of withdrawal from life, and many Nines are, in fact, introverted. Other Nines lead more active, social lives, but nevertheless remain to some to degree “checked out,” or not fully involved, as if to insulate themselves from threats to their peace of mind.

I find it a bit confusing that the article states that the Beatles were together for nine years. They settled on the name Beatles in August 1960 and were effectively finished by Autumn 1969, but George joined in 1958 and Ringo in 1962. I think the relevance of the number 9 could be explained more clearly in this context.

It looks a bit contrived to say that the group were together as the Beatles for nine years when it was nearer 10 than 9. Perhaps the article should say that John left the group after they had spent 9 years together as the Beatles.

Lennon became a public figure in 1962 and died in 1980. So he had 18 years in public life.
Moved to New York in 1971 until his death in 1980.
Meaning he had a two 9 year cycles.
1. 1962 – 1971
2, 1971 – 1980

To me first cycle was everything (almost). Had he lived through the 80’s and beyond?
I can’t imagine but the album “Imagine” sounds his artistic swan songs to me…
If John didn’t meet Yoko and stayed in England and concentrated to Music without
getting political…just wondering.
John, Thank you for everything.

Could it be that focusing on a particular number in.my case 22 allows self affirmation that you are trying to connect significant facts and thoughts by pattern something that we are all familiar with. When you start to look back into your history and that symbol or number appears it can be frightening that it was there all along you have just announced that you recognise it.

Numerology, like astrology etc can be fun. Like Jim Morrison said “Give us an hour for magic.” It makes us part of the magic that lifts us up and connects us. Some ppl seem so dry about John’s #9. I always thought is was just cool. I like coincidences. When a few happen over again, I treat it like pixie dust. It gives me a smile. I think that’s all John felt about it.
Yoko was was much heavier into running their schedule by the stars and iChing. I can just hear John saying, “Yes, mother” and rolling his eyes.

The entirety of the Earth, and the vastness of the Universe can all be explained by numbers. It is a universal language. The matrix of math combined with vibration creates music. The effects of this combination will either A: align with your own energetic composition, or B: fall in disharmony with your energetic composition. Those vibrations are the magnetic resonances that hold atomic material together. It is the source of gravity and all we can see. We know so much yet so little. The truest statement I can speak is that I know nothing at all, nor should I seek such knowledge. The beauty of it all is the experience of a physical place where we can experience each other. Whether it is God, a “loud noise”, or even a whisper responsible for the manifestation of this place I am happy and appreciative to be allowed to experience it. John Lennon was someone who brought math in the form of vibration to our minds and bodies. As do so many others. Appreciate the gift.

Happy birthday Johnny, 9th October 2016! you’re forever with us, you have my gratitude for what I keep on learning from you and for the great music and lyrics you left us with from the 9th december 1980 on.

“You can look at it anyway you want”. This is how John responded, more or less, when asked if there were any meanings to his lyrics. I do agree but it’s interesting that John never said whether all interpretations of his lyrics are valid or not. Worth noting, I believe. Oh, the questions I would ask him if I had the chance.

So much to say. I have a couple comments to make at least here right now.

First, a correction to the article. When John married and added Ono to his name it became John Winston Ono Lennon. The article omits Winston in its counting of the letter O in his name, making all of that incorrect. However, there is a rather profound relationship between John’s name and the number nine. I put together a video explaining how that is so and it is on YouTube here..

If, for some reason, the link changes you can always write to me at johnandpaulquestions@gmail.com and I’ll get you a link to the video. It is part of a series of videos and I hope you watch them all. It’s an ongoing process so if you are into reading somewhat complex material you can always go to thegoodguise at wordpress to read the book that the video series is based on. The book is more or less a complete accounting of my studies on John and Paul.

If you do take a look at what I’ve been up to regarding John and Paul, you will find that I have proven the duo are heavily interconnected to biblical prophecy. Many people absolutely deride me when I make that statement, and for good reason, given all the things he said and did throughout his life. But, they are incorrect.

John knew the Bible inside out. If you watch the movie Imagine, a movie put out by Yolo, I believe, you will hear him make a single statement which I feel vindicates my position on the matter.

There are interviews John and Yolo did around the time his ‘We are bigger than Jesus. Christianity and rock and roll will vanish and shrink’ comment hit the mainstream public. I think it is a Dick Cavett interview and he is being asked about why he would make such a statement. John gives a quick response, without much emphasis, and no follow-up question was asked. When John was asked why he said what he said John simply says, ‘it is what I derived while reading the Bible”.

To me, it hit me like a ton of bricks because John was always very evasive when talking in public. Also, there is a video I saw on YouTube that features John in an impromptu interview that I never did download and I’ve since been unable to find. If anyone knows where to find the video please let me know.

In the interview he is talking about how much greater the Beatles were than the Rolling Stones. He says that it may take 50 or 100 years but the day will come when people finally realize that what the Beatles accomplished through their music will make the music of the Rolling Stones seem like child’s play.

What John was referring to in that interview is what my book and video series is all about. They truly did come to change the world, as they say in Revolution, but rest assured that change was not some hippie movement back in the 1960’s. No, the change they will bring about is one that has not fully come to pass yet. Most don’t want to know this aspect of John and Paul because it is really too much for most to comprehend, let alone fully understand.

In closing, I’d like to reference another quote of John’s. When Yoko made the movie, Smile, a movie which is basically a movie of John acting like a portrait, pretty much motionless throughout, except as the movie progresses he eventually evolves from a rather stoic expression into a smiling expression, he was asked about the significance of the movie. He responded by saying, ‘it might take 50 or 100 years but everyone will eventually understand the significance of the film’.

That time is now. I do hope you enjoy the video series and the book I put together that finally shines the light on John and Paul as was intended all along.

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